Russia’s former Permanent Representative to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, was buried at Moscow's Troyekurovskoye Cemetery today.
Churkin's family, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign ministry staff attended a memorial for the former diplomat at Moscow's Central Clinic Hospital.
Lavrov praised Churkin as an "exceptional professional and people's diplomat" in remarks at the funeral.
The farewell ceremony was also attended by the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov, the Deputy Ministers Mikhail Bogdanov, Gennady Gatilov, Grigory Karasin, Alexey Meshkov and Igor Morgulov, as well as the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
The presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, the deputy speaker of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov, the head of the Federation Council's international affairs committee, Konstantin Kosachev, the Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov and representatives of foreign diplomatic missions also came to say goodbye to Churkin.
Churkin died in New York on Feb. 20, a day ahead of his 65th birthday.
